SEATTLE, Washington — Our favorite on-screen superhero, Iron Man, does some pretty amazing work off-screen too. When the cameras aren’t rolling, actor Robert Downey Jr. spends his time doing charity work and giving back to vulnerable communities. In April 2020, the Avengers star launched a foundation to clean up the planet and address climate change issues by using AI technology. Here are three reasons why this Hollywood star is a real-life hero.
3 Reasons Why Robert Downey Jr. is a Real-Life Superhero
- Philanthropy. It is important to mention that Robert Downey Jr. has been extremely charitable in his career but not extremely vocal about it. While it is not often publicized, Downey Jr. is continuously donating to various organizations, such as the Orca Network and Clothes Off Your Back. Additionally, Downey Jr. participated in a surprise visit at a Make a Wish event in Singapore, which resulted in an extremely successful fundraiser.
- Using Technology for Good. What better way is there for Downey Jr., portrayer of Iron Man, to be a real-life superhero than to create a tech company? The actor launched The Footprint Coalition, designed to utilize technology to promote a clean environment, at an Amazon event in 2019, and embraced his inner Tony Stark by saying, “Between robotics and nanotechnology, we could clean up the planet significantly, if not totally, in 10 years.” One of the greatest benefits of using this nanotechnology is that collected pollutants, like carbon dioxide—the biggest contributor to climate change—can be used to make other products such as alcohol.
- The Diversity of The Footprint Coalition. Downey Jr.’s organization is designed to reduce the impacts of global warming and clean up the planet through the use of technology and media. However, The Footprint Coalition is also an investment group that uses the platforms of celebrities, like Downey Jr., to spread awareness about the devastating impacts of climate change while also directing funds to other environmental nonprofits.
Why This Matters
Climate change is one of the biggest issues that the world is facing today, and it has the capability to impact humans on a global scale. Leading researchers determine that we have about 10 years to save the planet by transferring to more renewable and sustainable sources of energy. It is a time like this that influential people should use their platform to enact change. Big problems require big solutions, and that is exactly what Robert Downey Jr. is doing with The Footprint Coalition.
Climate Change and Global Poverty
Inequality is pervasive in countries all over the world, but it is more prominent in countries severely impacted by climate change. While the richest countries in the world continue to produce the most carbon dioxide, impoverished countries bear the brunt of the force of climate change. Droughts, floods and many other environmental disasters worsened by climate change can be devastating to impoverished countries. Moreover, there is a global increase in world hunger and a global decrease in the amount of food being produced, especially in countries that rely on sustenance farming to survive, due in part to changing climate patterns.
By creating an organization that reduces climate change, Robert Downey Jr. is fighting to alleviate global poverty. Reversing the impacts of global warming could increase successful crop yields while simultaneously decreasing global hunger.
Robert Downey Jr. is just one example of a real-life superhero. We need influential people to follow his lead in using their platform to fight against global poverty. By implementing technology to reduce the global carbon footprint and reverse the effects of climate change, The Footprint Coalition will be helping poverty-stricken countries across the globe, demonstrating the heroism of this Hollywood actor.
– Karin Filipova
Photo: Wikimedia Commons